Bruce positions himself on the mat in front of Marinette. She shakes her hands to relieve tension, careful not to loosen the bandages wrapped around her knuckles. Then, she tightens her ponytail and rolls her shoulders.
Basic self defense. That’s what Bruce wants to teach her. She didn’t even know they had a gym in the manor until that day. Her father was insistent for her to learn because of potential kidnappings, being a Wayne.
As if I can’t defend myself even out of costume, she sighs.
“Remember to relax, but not too much,” Bruce instructs. “Try again.”
Marinette curls her hand into a fist and punches the air loosely.
Bruce’s expression falters, obviously not wanting to tell her that she didn’t do good. “Another one, sweetie. Imagine there’s a bad man in front of you who wants to hurt you.”
She throws another punch, purposely making her movement flimsy to not draw suspicion.
“Okay . . .” Bruce frowns.
The door creaks open to reveal Damian delivering bottles of water. He looks back and forth between the two of them. “How is her progress?”
“She’s . . . learning.” Bruce clears his throat. “Mari, why don’t you try with Damian and he can help give you tips?”
“I’ll just punch him?” Marinette quizzes.
“Yes. Remember, aim properly, keep your stance steady and pull your hand back to defend right away.”
She nods, biting back an eager smile. “Okay. Got it.”
Marinette punches Damian—for real this time. She gives him a direct fist to the gut, making him double over and wheeze in pain. His eyes grow wide as he grunts, nearly dropping the two bottles. She swears she hears him let out a curse in Arabic.
Time flies with growing children in the house. And you would forget that Jade actually is a Loner sim, seeing her surrounded by her grandchildren and the housemates almost 24/7 and truly enjoying the company. Of course, she knew that she was spending some precious final days with her loved ones.
She was reminded of that when she received a call from a heartbroken Briella, giving her the sad news that Damian had passed away. While Jade and Marcus looked after the twins, the Dreamers gathered in the family tomb in Forgotten Hollow to place Damian's urn and find comfort in each other's company. When he hugged his youngest cousin Aaliyah, it crossed Rayne's mind that there would be a day that they would find themselves at the same place, mourning his mother. How he hoped that day would be far away still...
